Ichthyophiidae

{{Short description|Family of amphibians}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Caecilian wynaad1.jpg

| image_caption = Ichthyophis sp. from the Western Ghats

| taxon = Ichthyophiidae

| authority = Taylor, 1968

| subdivision_ranks = Genera

| subdivision =

Ichthyophis

Uraeotyphlus

}}

Image:Caecilian wynaad2.jpg

The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in South and Southeast Asia as well as southernmost China.{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/?action=names&taxon=Ichthyophiidae|title=Ichthyophiidae Taylor, 1968 |author=Frost, Darrel R. |date=2013 |work=Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=23 April 2013}}

They are primitive caecilians, lacking many of the derived characters found in the other families. For example, their mouths are not recessed underneath their heads, they possess tails, and they have numerous scales on their bodies. However, they have two sets of muscles for closing the jaw, a feature unique to caecilians, but absent in the related family Rhinatrematidae.{{cite book |editor1=Cogger, H.G. |editor2=Zweifel, R.G. |author = Nussbaum, Ronald A.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|isbn= 978-0-12-178560-4|page= 55}}

They lay their eggs in cavities in moist soil, where they hatch into larvae that seek out streams or underground seepages, before metamorphosing into adults. Some evidence indicates the females may protect their eggs until they hatch.

Taxonomy

References

{{Reflist}}

  • Nussbaum, Ronald A. and Mark Wilkinson (1989). "On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians." Herpetological Monographs, (3), 1-42
  • {{cite journal

| last = San Mauro

| first = Diego

| title = Phylogeny of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) based on complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear RAG1

| doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.05.014

| journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

| volume = 33

| pages = 413–427

|date=November 2004 |author2=David J. Gower |author3=Oommen V. Oommen |author4=Mark Wilkinson |author5=Rafael Zardoya

| pmid = 15336675

| issue = 2

| bibcode = 2004MolPE..33..413S

}}

  • {{cite journal

| last = San Mauro

| first = Diego

| title = Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea

| jstor = 10.1086/429523

| journal = American Naturalist

| volume = 165

| pages = 590–599

|date=May 2005 |author2=Miguel Vences |author3=Marina Alcobendas |author4=Rafael Zardoya |author5=Axel Meyer

| doi = 10.1086/429523

| pmid = 15795855

| issue = 5

|url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/3880726/39160_170248y.pdf}}

  • {{cite journal

| last = San Mauro

| first = Diego

| title = Experimental design in caecilian systematics: phylogenetic information of mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rag1

| journal = Systematic Biology

| volume = 58

| pages = 425–438

|date=August 2009 |author2=David J. Gower |author3=Tim Massingham |author4=Mark Wilkinson |author5=Rafael Zardoya |author6=James A. Cotton

| doi = 10.1093/sysbio/syp043

| pmid = 20525595

| issue = 4

| citeseerx = 10.1.1.577.2856

}}

  • {{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/index.php//Amphibia/Gymnophiona/Ichthyophiidae |title=Ichthyophiidae |last=Frost |first=Darrel R. |date=2019 |website=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA |access-date=7 October 2019}}
  • AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2004. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. Retrieved 26 August 2004

{{Lissamphibia}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1069149}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Amphibian families

Category:Amphibians of Asia